Tool-holder.



J. 8. BROWN.

I TOOL HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED FEB-2h l9i7.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. 8. BROWN.

TOOL HOLDER.

'APFLICATION FILED FEB- 21. 1917.

Patented Aug.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JOHN B. BROWN, OF AKRON, OHIO.

TOOL-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

Application filed February 21, 1917. Serial No. 150,157.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN B. BnowN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tool-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a tool holder and especially to one designed to hold a number of different tools, as for example three sizes of screw drivers and an awl, although the utility of the device is not limited to the particular use to be made of the tools contained within it. I

A further object of the invention is to provide suitable means whereby the tips or points of the tools are normally concealed and any particular one may be brought into operative position on rotation of a sleeve, and again returned to normal position on further rotation of the sleeve.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter pointed out, set forth in the claim, and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete device, one of the tools being in operative position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section, partly broken away.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44; of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a cam sleeve, a retaining sleeve being shown in section.

Fig. 6 is an end plan view of the retaining sleeve.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tool holding means removed from the handle.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the tools.

It will be obvious that in the manufacture of any device of this character the nature of the materials used may cause minor variations, as for example where a portion of the device is of wood and a part of metal, two parts may be united which if of one material, as for example metal, could be integral, or parts which when assembled act as a single unit may be formed separately for convenience in manufacturing, and then combined.

In illustrating a preferred form of my in vention I show a handle 1 of wood provided with a ferrule 2 that projects beyond the handle portion and said handle is recessed as shown at 3 and provided with a longitudinal. bore 3 communicating with the recess.

In said recess is suitably secured, as by screws, the upper end of a suitable tool holder comprising an inner or upper portion 4: cylindrical in form and integral with an outer cone portion 5. This portion is of greater diameter at its base, the cone being considered as inverted, than the cylinder i, and is stepped to form shoulders 6. The holder is completed by a square hollow shank 7, of metal and which is extended through to the inner end of the cylinder 41-, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 7.

The cylinder e't is longitudinally slotted by intersecting slots 8, said slots extending through the shank also, which in the assembled device is a part of the holder, and the cylinder, cone and shank may be considered as a single unit.

The slots are four in number, one for each tool held.

Rotating on the cylinder 4: are sleeves 9 and 1.0, the latter bearing on the outer shoulder 6, and the inner cam sleeve extending up into the ferrule 2. These sleeves are also a unit, being rigidly secured together and turning as one piece.

The sleeve 9 is cut away along its outer end face to form a continuous shoulder or cam edge, which also extends longitudinally with respect to the sleeve and comprises a comparatively straight, transverse portion a at the inner end of the sleeve and a very short semi-circumferential compound portion 5 at the opposite or outer end of the sleeve, all of said cam shoulder though lying within the sleeve 10. These cam portions are connected on one side by a slightly curved edge 9 and on the opposite side by a comparatively straight edge 9", which edge however is at a slight angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve.

The tools 11 are slidably held in the shank 7 and. their ends are angled as at 12, the ex treme end of each angled portion being beveled on one side as at 12"* to engage the cam shoulder above described.

These angled portions extend respectively through the slots 8 and engage the shoulder or cam of the sleeve 9, traveling inwardly and outwardly of the shank in engagement with said shoulder as the sleeve is rotated.

The slots 8 are ninety degrees apart and the cam sleeve so proportioned that three of the angled ends of the holders will always rest in contact with the cam portion a while the fourth angled end of the remaining tool may rest against the cam portion 6, or all four may be in contact with the portion an On proper rotation of the sleeve 10 a tool will be projected, its angled inner end traveling down in shoulder 9 to proper position, and being returned along the shoulder 9" by means hereafter described.

The outer face of the sleeve 10 is milled or roughened to facilitate its rotation by hand.

To serve as a lock when a tool is in position for use and to prevent the sleeves rotating too freely I employ a ball 13 pressed on by a spring 14 located in a bore H which also forms a seat for the ball and is produced in the cylinder 4: at its juncture with the cone 5 which may be termed the cylinder base.

The ball is held in place by a ring 15 arranged in the sleeve 10 and provided with recesses 15, four in number and equi-dis tant apart. As the sleeve 10 is rotated the ring 15 presses the ball back into its seat until one of the recesses 15 comes into alinement.

The ball is then forced therein and serves as a lock in a manner which will be obvious from the drawing.

To retract the tools and draw them quickly up the straight edge or shoulder 9" of the cam I connect the angled end of each tool to a spring 16 said springs extending up into the bore 3 and the upper ends of the springs 16 are secured by a wire 17 extended through the handle end and held in place by a wedge 18.

All parts of the device are simple in con struction, and readily accessible for repair.

Sleeves 9 and 10 may be considered as a single unit, and if the cylinder 4, base or cone 5 and shank 7 are all of metal they will be made in one piece. But by making the cylinder and cone of wood the device is much lighter in weight and more easily carried and manipulated.

What I claim is:

A device of the kind described comprising a. holding member, tools carried thereby and normally concealed within said holder, said tools having angled inner ends, retract ing springs secured to said angled ends, a rotatable sleeve surrounding said holding member and having a cam shoulder formed thereon, said shoulder having an inner straight transverse portion, an outer compound circumferential portion, a curved longitudinally extending portion connecting one end of the last mentioned portion with an end of the first mentioned portion, and a straight portion extending longitudinally and connecting the other ends of the first and second mentioned portions, and means for locking said sleeve at predetermined points durmg its rotation, the angled ends of the tools being in engagement with said cam shoulder.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN B. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

